Li-Fi: like Wi-Fi, but 100-times faster

Scientists have tested out Li-Fi, a wireless technology that transmits high-speed data using visible light communication (VLC), and achieved speeds that are 100 times faster than current average Wi-Fi speeds.

Li-Fi transmits data using LED lights, which flicker on and off within nanoseconds, imperceptible to the human eye.

The technology works by flashing light to relay messages in binary code and it is thought that one day household lights could be used as the transmitter while simultaneously providing illumination.

Since its invention, lab tests have recorded staggering transfer speeds of 224Gb (about 18 HD movies in a second), but these results from are the first from testing the tech in real-world environments. While Wi-Fi can penetrate walls or other opaque obstacles, Li-Fi won't pass through even a flimsy partition since it relies on visible light, reported the Daily Mail.

Velmenni CEO Deepak Solanki envisions Li-Fi being pushed into the consumer space by the end of the decade, and would allow for easy retrofits as existing light fixtures could be replaced with Li-Fi-capable LED lighting.

Get yourself prepared for a new wireless Internet technology which is at least 100 times faster than Wi-Fi. Instead, the two technologies will likely be used together to offer more secure and efficient networks.

The first commercially available Li-Fi system, the Li-1st, was demonstrated by PureLiFi at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. According to the company's website: "We are implementing the Li-Fi technology in our new range of LED bulbs".

The intention is not to entirely replace Wi-Fi, because such action will not be feasible.

The technology is invented by researcher "Harald Haas" from the University of Edinburgh and has been tested in offices and industrial environment. A lot of water will run under the bridge before we see Li-Fi becoming our standard method of data transmission.

The company has claimed that a breakthrough in the field of visible light communication (VLC), titled Velmenni Jugnu, will cross Wi-Fi limitations. Moreover, LEB bulbs that transmit Li-Fi won't interfere with other signals.

Wireless technology is ready to evolve into its next stage with Li-Fi.

In the near future we will not only have 14 billion light bulbs, there will also be 14 billion Li-Fi deployed across the globe for cleaner, Greener, and brighter future.